Can December already be over? And with it, 2008? I spent the month finishing out the semester, knitting Christmas gifts, and worrying over Maddie. She's doing great (stitches come out on Saturday), and I'm already working on gifts for next year!

I hope you had a good year, too. I'm going to knit the afternoon away, then prepare for a dinner party, as long as the weather will let us travel!

Neal just left for work. The three dogs are all sleeping, and I'm sipping coffee and enjoying the lights reflecting from our silver tinsel tree. I've been feeling panicked the last few days, uncertain of how I was going to manage to "get it all done" by Thursday. I woke up early, Coco barking in her crate, scared of the big cone head (Maddie) that hovered near the bed. I helped Maddie up, shushed Coco, and as I felt Maddie relax against me, my head in her cone with her so she could kiss me, our bodies pressed close, the Christmas spirit came to me. The panic has changed to acceptance.

Cal noted in comments that it was a miracle that Maddie wasn't hurt worse. This Christmas, if I don't have a perfectly set table, if some gifts don't make it to their recipients until after the holiday, if there is no spun sugar decorating dessert, well, so it goes. I've got a dog who didn't hurt any organs. My parents and three of their five children will be together. Time for me to let go of high expectations for myself and just enjoy what I'm able to do.

Today that means welcoming one of my dearest friends and her sons as they visit from New York for our annual cookie-baking extravaganza. It will mean a frenzy of flour, sugar, butter, and more than anything, joy at a rare day together.

I finished the first of many Puff Daddies at SnB last Tuesday, and Sarah graciously agreed to model it while Spring shot a picture. I went a little crazy on the big pompom, but I like the extra width of this version. My Christmas knitting is this close to being completed...a few Puffs, a few Bijouterie, and I can call it a day. I do need to start wrapping gifts, though.

I want to thank everyone for their good wishes for Maddie. I would do so individually, but Typepad is making responding to comments a bit tricksy today. In any case, Maddie came home this afternoon. She was thrilled to see Tilly, meh about Coco, and over the moon for Neal. She has to wear a cone to keep her from messing with her sutures, but we got the go ahead to keep it off her if she's good about not obsessing. Right now she's next to me on the sofa, sound asleep, sans collar. The house feels right again with her in it.

Maybe now I can turn on some holiday music and really feel the grace and joy of the season. What do you do to ensure you don't forget the real meaning of the holidays?

Little Maddie Mulligan has had a rough weekend. If you follow me on Twitter or FaceBook, this is old news, and I apologize for repeating myself. Here's the story.

Late Saturday afternoon Neal heard Maddie give a yelp. This isn't unusual as she and Tilly rough house quite a bit as they romp in the yard. A few minutes later, she sat on the deck in the snow, waiting to be let in. Not long after, Neal took the big girls on their walk while I attended to Coco. Maddie wasn't that into her walk, so Neal cut it short.

As Maddie lay curled up on the living room rug, I noticed she was licking her side. Maddie tends toward compulsive behaviors, and I like to check them out when I see them. Lo! What I found was a raw spot about the size of a half dollar. Neal had the good sense to bring her to the vet's. Our usual vet's office was closed, and we couldn't get through to their phone service. Luckily, just down the hill from us is another veterinarian office, and Neal brought her there. I honestly thought this was a surface wound, just in need of a little topical or dressing.

My heart sank when Neal came home alone. They said it was a deep puncture wound and wanted to put in a drain and stitch her up. As best we can figure, the 14" or so of snow raised the ground enough to make Maddie's usually running paths more difficult to get around, and she must have plowed into a stick or branch that she would duck normally.

We got a call after her surgery to let us know she was waking up, and another call this morning. I nearly fainted when I heard Neal's voice, shocked, ask the vet to repeat the size of the puncture. I knew it must be bad; he doesn't shock easily.

Six inches, people. Six. Inches.

We are so very fortunate that it missed any organs. So lucky that Neal decided she needed a trip to the vet's, thereby avoiding infection. So lucky.

I got to see my girl this afternoon. She was groggy, but happy to see me. After a little walk and a treat (vet approved), we brought her back in. She seemed pretty tired and ready to go back to her crate. I'll call tomorrow to see if she can come home. We have to wait until the drain comes out, and then she'll have to wear a collar, which will make her miserable.

Maddie not having a more serious accident is my best gift this year. I feel so very lucky.

Casino Royale is the first Bond novel. I'll confess that I picked it up because of the fabulous Penguin edition pulp cover. The first 50 or so pages dragged. I stayed with the book for only two reasons: it is on my 1% Well-Read Challenge list (I'm up to 15.78%), and Neal read it and wanted me to check it out, too.

Once the situation is established, though, the story picked up. From the point where Bond sits at the Baccarat table with Le Chiffre until the final page, I read it in one sitting.

Around the time the film came out, I listened to an NPR show about Ian Fleming and Casino Royale. The journalist discussed how Daniel Craig's (my secret boyfriend)portrayal of Bond is much closer to Fleming's character: dark, brooding, uncertain. I was interested, then, to take in this truer picture of Bond.

At times the writing has a similar feel to Miss Pettigrew in the overuse of descriptors, but as the pace picked up, I found this less distracting.

Ultimately, I believe any Bond fan will have a good time reading the novel and seeing the connection to the film Bonds who are so familiar.(Review taken from my Goodreads page)

Two more books to go on my challenge. What are you dipping into this holiday season?

Last night I baked Neal one of his favorite treats: Derby pie. When we were first dating, I would drive up to see him most weekends, right after work on Friday. Thursday nights, then, I usually baked something. I prefer baking to cooking, so appearing late Friday evenings with something homemade was my way of saying "I really, really like you."

I posted about this pie on Twitter (and therefore, Facebook) and a few people asked about it. So, for all you curious people, here is my Derby pie recipe:

One pie crust (it's better with a homemade crust, but a refrigerator crust will work in a pinch).

Mix all together, place in pie crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until tester comes out clean.

It's delicious with a scoop of frozen yogurt on top.

There are fancier recipes for Derby pie, but this is my favorite, given to me by my cousin Robin. I know it's a good country recipe because it starts with a stick of butter. At least, that's what Dana tells me starts a good country recipe!

My photo doesn't do this adorable package justice. Heather filled a box with delightful goodies for me and the girls. I'm enamored of the little book houses...and the cookies, though they are long gone! The Scrabble ornaments are going to look great on my silver tinsel tree. If you click for bigger maybe you can get a better look at how sweet the two pair of earrings are, too.

I'm on the loveseat, the room darkening as the sun sets. Maddie is next to me, and Coco is grunting away in her sleep next to Maddie. Tilly's curled up on the floor. It's a sweet moment. We'll go for a walk in a few and then the evening round of puppy craziness will begin.

I did nothing school related today (I lie. I answered a few e-mails.). Hair dresser's, book store, yarn store, bead store, home. Nice little round of errands. I knocked off a little more Christmas shopping and picked up supplies to make a few Puff Daddies and a pair or two of Romi's new earrings. If you plan on making the earrings, and like me, bring the pattern to the bead shop and ask for help selecting supplies, be forewarned that cable thimbles are also called wire guards. I was a bit disappointed in the LBS owner...I showed her a picture, explained what the cable thimbles were meant to do, and she just said she'd never heard of them. As soon as I got home, I logged on to the Rav to find out more, learned their other name, called the shop, and sure enough, she has them. I wish she'd been able to connect the two names to the same items. I will say she was very helpful other than that snafu, but it does mean another trip to the shop.

Time to walk the mutts. I'm grateful we didn't get hit by any of the ice that cracked trees and telephone poles just a few miles away from us.

Stay warm. I hope you have a crafty Friday...I'll be back soon with some fabulous swap pictures.

I haven't gotten through the entire issue, what with using it as my procrastination tool (grade a paper, oogle a pattern), but so far, I think this is one swell issue. I'm super excited for Everybody Knows. I have a ton of Manos in my stash, just waiting for a pattern, and I think this is it. And did you get a load of Romi's model? I love the earrings, but that girl--too beautiful! Did you totally recognize Norah Gaughan's work when you saw Surface? I love it with the wrap over it.

Link to the person who tagged you.Post the rules on your blog.Write six random things about yourself.Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.Let the tagger know when your entry is up.So I asked Neal to provide the randomness as we watch the Huskies.

Here goes (and I'm directly quoting)

1. Thirteen--it's your lucky number. (eta:like you all didn't already know that).2. You're not going to be happy until you get your little writing room (eta: he means the little outdoor folly he promised me to get me to stay here in CT).3. So far, your puppy is adept at three things: eating, peeing on the bed, and fecal vomiting (eta: she only peed on the end of the bed once, and it didn't soak through, and today was the only puke fest).4. You've just discovered looming (eta: he means weaving. He's trying to show off. He also sometimes calls knitting sewing). 5. Roberto's eggplant rotini--it tastes like home (eta: he means my old pal Roberto from my favorite Italian restaurant...I used to eat there all the time when I worked at the drug store...and it's the sauce, not the eggplant that tastes like home).6. It pisses you off that I think you have a temper (eta: he's so right. He's the only one who seems able to push my buttons...everyone else finds me rather even keeled, I believe).